Independent reading is a common practice in elementary classrooms. It's important for kids to have time to read because research has found that children who read more are often likely to become better readers. However, it is not as straightforward as time reading equals becoming a better reader. In order to make independent reading time more effective, Elizabeth shares three tips from research studies: consider the books that students are reading, do more than read during independent reading time, and help students set their own reading goals to work towards. Learn more about your ad choices ..read more

How do we support kids with writing while not jumping to use the Chromebooks or iPads? Elizabeth shares some ideas to support elementary kids with their writing that do not require devices. In order to set kids up for success with their writing, she shares some ideas that have helped her students when teaching writing. They include: introducing mentor texts, modeling your own writing and thinking when writing, using graphic organizers well, thinking about what writing tools you are introducing to students, and have some type of publishing party so that students can share their final writing pi ..read more

In this episode, Elizabeth is joined by Andrea Haas, a literacy consultant who supports teachers with reading and writing instruction. They discuss writing and Andrea shares ideas for how to plan globally so reading, writing, and the content areas are aligned. They also discuss teaching the writing process and when prompts are appropriate. Finally, Andrea shares teaching moves to make small group instruction manageable as well as highlights an idea to try out when students need additional support -- this can be used at any grade level! Check out Andrea's website: https://www.elmtreeed.com/ Lea ..read more

It's the time of year when job postings are popping up! This month's episodes focus on preparing for the job market - and this episode is focused on writing resumes and cover letters. Elizabeth discusses what should be included in a resume and cover letter and what should absolutely not be included (hint: make sure everything you include is true!). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

After speaking with Lorraine Radice, who shared her idea of Falling in Love with Reading for the month of February, Elizabeth shares ideas about ways to help elementary students love reading. She shares four ideas that you can include in your teaching or even at home to help kids enjoy reading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

How do we get kids to read? Dr. Lorraine Radice is a literacy leader at a school district on Long Island. She has been working to build a culture of reading at all levels in the school district. Her recent book, Leading a Culture of Reading: How to Ignite and Sustain a Love of Literacy in Your School Community, addresses specific ways that school districts and teachers can work to get kids reading. In our conversation, we discuss the framework that Lorraine established to do this work, the ideas that she has implemented with teachers to introduce new book titles that students may enjoy reading ..read more

Welcome to Episode 34! Today I am speaking with Dr. Karen Gazith who is a professor at McGill University. She recently published the book, The Power of Effective Reading Instruction: How Neuroscience Informs Instruction Across All Grades and Disciplines, which addresses so many of the questions and issues in literacy education today. Dr. Gazith explains neuroscience and what it says about reading instruction. She also discusses the term dyslexia and how a teacher may notice if a student is dyslexic. This book is so practical and provides strategies that can be implemented in the classroom. Kar ..read more

The American Library Association is hosting an event this month! It's the LibLearnX Conference and joining me to discuss the conference is the current ALA President, Emily Drabinski. Emily talks about the conference and what to expect. There are both in-person and digital options to attend, so if you are not able to travel to Baltimore, you can still attend the different sessions. There are many relevant topics being addressed in the sessions: AI, privacy issues with younger students, building partnerships between schools and libraries – are just a few. Emily speaks about the issues that libra ..read more

Get ready for a fun episode! If you have students or children who enjoy reading graphic novels - then this is an episode that you must listen to! In this week's episode, Stephen Shaskan joins Elizabeth to discuss graphic novels. Stephen is the author of the fun and motivating series, Pizza and Taco. He has also written and illustrated a number of other books, including the series Q & Ray, which his wife wrote and he illustrated. Stephen discusses why graphic novels are so motivating for kids to read. He also talks about his own love of reading comic books as a kid and how important reading ..read more

In this week's episode, Elizabeth talks with Jennifer McCarty Plucker about her new book Inspiring Lifelong Readers. Jennifer talks about the inquiry work that she did with students in middle and high school to support them as readers. She provides very helpful strategies from her book that can be implemented at all grade levels. Jennifer stresses the importance of helping all students find books that they enjoy reading - and she gives a roadmap to help teachers (and parents!) with that work. At the end of the episode, Jennifer gives excellent tips to parents who want to support their upper gr ..read more